Does your Doodle act ashamed?

[Erin]

We left her for a few hours one evening, and I when I came home, right in front of the door, was a chewed up ornament from the tree.  She has NEVER bothered with the tree before!  I came in the house and saw the carnage on the floor and said calmly, "Hershey, what did you do?"  And I got a little scared cause she wasn't at the door to greet me....

  She was hiding under the dining room table and refused to come out.  I didn't yell, I didn't act angry (mostly, cause she didn't really destroy the heirloom and it could be glued).  But she wouldn't come out from under the table for awhile!  As I was picking up pieces of the ornament,  she finally came out and looked me, and slinked over to the corner of the room and PEED ON THE CARPET! 

 

Hershey has never acted like this before - despite chewing up a number of items around our house that she finds when we leave her.  It's like every 8th time we leave her behind when we go some place that she'll find something to chew, so its not a huge problem, but still we try to keep things on higher shelves :o)

 

Do any of your doodle act ashamed or upset after you catch them when they've done something they know they shouldn't do??

[Anna and Achilles]

My first labradoodle Houdini had a conscience and would lower his head when he did something wrong. We would sometimes not know what he did, but because he acted this was we knew he was guilty of something. Achilles however does not act ashamed in any way shape or form.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Oooooh, Little Neddie poo knows absolutely when he has done something naughty! He hides under the dining room table.

[Adina P]

Lately yes!  Rosco is continually becoming a better and better finder of things I didn't think he'd touch.  And he's almost 5 and only started this a few months ago.  I began to notice that if he HAD chewed something up, before I'd even notice it he'd go directly to our room when I come home.  Now every single time I come home I do a room scan for anything chewed up.  So that is a consistent occurrence each time I come home.  Yet he only goes off to the bedroom IF there's something actually chewed up on the floor--before I notice it.  It's making me wonder if the whole 'dogs don't know they did anything wrong after the fact' thing might be incorrect.  Or at least not 100% correct. 

 

What other explanation is there for the fact that he only heads to the bedroom ONLY when there is something to hide?  Because I do the room scan EVERY time I come home. Any guesses?

[Bonnie and Kona]

When we had two golden retrievers, Duke had no shame, Earle always looked completely guilty. When Duke died, nothing ever was taken off the counter or table again. We had been scolding Earle because he looked so guilty, but Duke, the innocent looking one, was actually the perpetrator!

[Carol and Banjo]

This is too funny!  I hope you  made it up to good ole Earle!

[Camilla and Darwin]

Darwin kind of slinks away and looks depressed if we tell him no. I think he is either really sensitive, or wants to gain our sympathy. :-)

[Lesley, Wellington & Bingley]

 

The explanation for this behaviour (so the behaviourists say) is that the dog is anticipating being told off because there is something chewed up/destroyed.

 

In these cases try to think really hard - have you ever been angry/ changed your greeting or tone of voice when you have found something amiss in your home.

 

Dogs are extremely good at recognising cues. The fact that they chew up something is not associated with your being angry as you are not there when it happens.

 

The fact that you get or even mildly frustrated when you return home to find anything out of place can be associated with an item in pieces on the floor.

 

Also remember that doodles are extremely sensitive and can read our emotions so well. Even if you think you have not reacted, ever - they may have picked up on your not-too happy vibe.

 

Thats what we were taught anyway =)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I definitely believe this is true.  I see it with my Guinness whenever he has done something that he thinks I won't be happy with.  He will either go hide or he will just avoid looking at me.  Not so much with Murphy who will "steal" something and parade right in front of me...like he's saying "ha ha, look what I've got".

[Carol and Banjo]

Banjo and Murph are two of a kind!   It' s a game for Banjo...and the way he "struts" with the forbidden object is hysterical.

[Adina P]

I understand but what I've always read is they do not KNOW that they have done something 'wrong' -- that any visual demonstration of knowing is actually a response to your mood.  I realize it is not necessarily 'shame' but Rosco def knows when he did something I could be upset about.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Lesley's explanation of why a dog acts guilty and ashamed when they've done something wrong in your absence is what I was taught many years ago, as well.

[Adina P]

Okay so then let's see if I'm understanding the traditional explanation this time:

 

The dog apparently has a disconnect between his act of chewing something up and the resultant chewed up stuff.  So when I come home and there is something chewed up on the floor...he sort of recognizes that there is chewed up stuff on the floor and that when that is so I tend to be upset.  BUT he doesn't really connect the chewed up stuff with HIS previous act of chewing in any way.

 

Is this correct?